To avoid disturbing Lu Duobao's sleep, Lu Qingqing decided to bring the two to her room to discuss matters. She wanted to earn Feng Si's trust with her openness.
Li Yongqiang followed behind her. At first, they thought Lu Qingqing was going to take them out for some fresh air. To their surprise, Lu Qingqing walked straight to the opposite door.
She took out her key and said, "Please come in."
Li Yongqiang was impressed.
"Are you planning to turn your two-bedroom, one-living room apartment into a four-bedroom, two-living room setup after you get married?" Li Yongqiang joked with Lu Qingqing. Lu Qingqing smiled; that would depend on Ouyang Wen's agreement.
Likely, the chances were slim!
"Hu Jia is handling a case outside, in Huayan, Jiulongpo. If you really don't trust me, you can go find him. But I hope you won't."
Lu Qingqing said solemnly, "I trust you. As you saw earlier, I've plastered my home with too many reminder notes. That's because he has forgotten everything from seven years ago. And he has always believed that the shooting case was solved, and the murderer of his father was apprehended."
Feng Si had already heard this from Li Yongqiang, so he wasn't surprised.
"We're also reluctant to involve him in the old case now; those memories are a blow and a pain for him. If he were to know that the case wasn't solved, he might fall ill."
"How could a case that has been unsolved for ten years be solved in just seven days? But if he can't solve the case, he can't rest. Without rest, his brain will develop problems, leading to fainting and collapse, even endangering his life."
"Therefore, I hope you can accept my suggestion. Your safety will be guarded by me and Ouyang Wen."
Perhaps it was Lu Qingqing's sincerity that moved Feng Si, or maybe Li Yongqiang had already prepared Feng Si. It was evident that his demeanor had visibly softened.
"But Ouyang Wen is, after all, Hu's adopted son. Will he wholeheartedly commit to these matters?"
Hearing Feng Si's question, Lu Qingqing finally understood why Feng Si hadn't approached Ouyang Wen for so long; it turned out he didn't believe in Ouyang Wen's sense of belonging to the Hu family.
"He will. Although his surname is Ouyang, he has always considered himself a member of the Hu family," Lu Qingqing gave Feng Si a definite answer.
Silence fell as Feng Si contemplated for a long time.
Finally, he said, "I believe you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingqing felt a genuine sense of relief. She had indeed worried about Feng Si going to find Hu Jia, yet she couldn't stop him.
Because she knew this matter was of great importance to everyone, including Feng Si.
"Have you met Hu Jia before?" This was Lu Qingqing's most pressing question.
Feng Si nodded. "During those years, I was constantly on the run. Later, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I sneaked back to find Hu Jia and told him about 'Er Jiu Liu'."
Feng Si said that during that period, Hu Jia had been investigating 'Er Jiu Liu,' but he didn't know if any clues were found or if anyone was identified. But one day, Hu Jia suddenly found him and told him to leave quickly, find a place to hide, and never return to Chongqing unless absolutely necessary.
Never return to Chongqing?
Hearing such words from Hu Jia indicated that the perpetrator's background was extremely powerful, making even Hu Jia apprehensive.
"Besides this, did he say anything else about the case?"
"No, but I heard him mutter something to himself: 'That gun is a police gun.'"
Feng Si's words stunned Lu Qingqing. That gun? Wasn't that referring to the murder weapon in the shooting case?
Hu Jia actually said that gun was a police gun, which would imply the killer was a police officer.
"Your guess is the same as what I initially thought. But if it were a police officer, knowing Hu Jia's personality, he would have made a fuss long ago. So I suspect it was a lost gun."
A lost gun?
Lu Qingqing was overjoyed. A lost gun would be easier to investigate. As long as they found the policeman who lost the gun, they could uncover some of the circumstances from back then.
This was because no police officer could hide the negligence of losing a firearm.
It's important to note that firearms and ammunition were scarce in the early Republic of China. Most police officers were issued long rifles, and only high-ranking military commanders and political figures could use pistols.
Even within the police department, not everyone was issued a gun. Apart from high-ranking officials, only members of the criminal investigation team could be issued handguns.
"Are there any leads on who lost the gun?" Lu Qingqing asked.
"Hu Jia never explicitly told me. However, I know he often contacted someone named Mou Jixuan during that period. I've delivered items for both of them. That person lived in Taipingmen," Feng Si replied.
Mou Jixuan.
Lu Qingqing silently committed the name to memory.
"This is all the information I have. You must catch them," Feng Si looked at Lu Qingqing very seriously. "I've already wasted ten years of my life, and I don't want to live like a wild man anymore."
"Don't worry, we will catch the mastermind," Lu Qingqing took out a stack of banknotes from a cabinet. "I will send you to Jiangjin, where no one can harm you."
Feng Si didn't stand on ceremony and took the money directly, as they were indeed in need.
After putting it in his pocket, Feng Si's expression visibly improved. "We originally came here hoping to get Hu Jia's protection. Since Miss Lu can help me find a place to hide, that would be ideal."
As he spoke, Feng Si sighed, "I'm truly terrified of those assassins."
Lu Qingqing completely understood Feng Si's fear. "Don't worry, we will eventually eradicate the Blade Men organization."
Feng Si nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Remember to notify me when Lian Xianhai dies. I want to spit on his grave."
Hearing this, Li Yongqiang chuckled. "You still dare to go near Lian Xianhai's corpse?"
"Can't I spit into a cesspool?" Feng Si laughed.
"Lian Xianhai?" Lu Qingqing found the name somewhat familiar. Upon thinking about it, wasn't that the person who caused her to be kidnapped?
"Yes, a minor leader of the Blade Men organization. He's been hunting me for years," Feng Si said.
"What?" Lu Qingqing was shocked. This Lian Xianhai was actually part of the Blade Men. No wonder he, an apparent owner of a trading company, was involved in extortion behind the scenes.
"What is it?" Feng Si had assumed that since Lu Qingqing was investigating the Blade Men, she would have already looked into Lian Xianhai. However, he was surprised to see that Lu Qingqing seemed unaware.
Lu Qingqing recounted her kidnapping. "That Lian Xianhai has gone missing. No wonder his subordinates were monitoring Hu Jia; it turns out he was one of the Blade Men."
"But I was still in the mountains back then. What was their motive for monitoring Hu Jia?" Feng Si's question made Lu Qingqing realize something. According to Ouyang Wen's analysis, they intended to fabricate a suicide to provoke Hu Jia into falling ill.
But this seemed like an unnecessary complication.
If they didn't want Hu Jia to investigate the case, they could have just killed him. Why keep him alive?
Did Hu Jia still have some exploitable value?
Lu Qingqing felt like she was going crazy. She had been looking for Feng Si, and now Feng Si appeared, then there was Mou Jixuan, and now before she even started looking for Mou Jixuan, she discovered that Lian Xianhai from before was also a target for investigation.
So many people!
So difficult to find!